Combination conveyer and drier for bricks.



c. BLAUL & F. H. KIMMICH. COMBINATION OONVBYER AND DRIER FOR BRICKS.

V APPLIUATION FILED MAY 8, 1914.

Pater med Feb. 23, 1915.

v G. BLAUL & F. H. KIMMIGH.

COMBINATION UONVEYER AND DRIER FOR'BRIGKS.

APILIOATION FILED A 8, 1914. 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

90 2 U G F d 8 b H G t a P CHARLES BLAUL, 0F MORTON GROVE STATION,, AND FELIX H. KIMMICH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COMBINATION CONVEYER AND DRI ER FOR BRICKS.

1,129,4ldd.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

Application filed 8, 1914. Serial No. 837,124.

To all whom it may concern.

'Be it known that we, CHARLES BLAUL, residing at Morton Grove Station, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, and FELIX H. KIMMICH, residing at Chicago, in the same county and State, both citizens of the United States, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Combination Conveyors and Driers for Bricks, of which the following is a specification.

Cur invention relates to conveyers, more particularly combination conveyors and driers for use in the manufacture of bricks.

The object of the invention is to provide apparatus in which the pallets upon which the bricks are supported may be readily detachable; second, to provide means whereby the green bricks may be dried preparatory to burning; third, to accomplish certain advantageous details of construction which will be hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

We accomplish our objects by the apparatus in which Figures 1, 2 and 3 are side, plan and end views respectively of apparatus embodying our invention. Fig; l is a plan view of a portion of the conveyer chain and associated parts together with a fragment of one of the pallets. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 4c, this view being partly in section on the line 55, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view on the line 6-6,-Fig. 4.v Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a pallet support.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

It will be understood by those familiar with the manufacture of brick, especially common brick, that as the bricks, in their green condition, leave the machine they are usually placed by hand upon a conveyer belt for the purpose of removing them from the machine and advancing them in their progress toward the kiln. To facilitate an understanding of our machine, more particularly with reference to its use in brick making, let it be assumed that the dotted lines A at the left end of Fig. 2 indicate the adjacent edge of a belt or other conveyer which receives the bricks from the machine. Ordinarily this belt will run parallel to the kilns so that the bricks may be brought adjacent to the desired part thereof. Let it be assumed that our machine (of which there 1, 1 which are articulately connected together in parallel by pins 2. These pins constitute the axles for anti-friction rollers 3, 3 which roll upon two parallel tracks 4. In the preferred construction, these tracks have. a special configuration best seen in cross-section in Fig. 6. In this form the track is made of formed sheet metal having a central raised portion-4; upon which the rollers run. Connected with this central raised portion are two trough-like portions 4", 4 which come up on the side high enough to'serve' as a guard for the link belt and parts thereon. The link belts pass over end sprockets 5 and 6, the sprockets 5 being at the head or receiving end of the machine and the sprockets 6 at the delivery end. The sprockets 5 are mounted upon a shaft 7 journaled in standards 8. The sprockets 6 are mounted upon short shafts or trunnions 9, 9 j ournaled in adjustable boxes 10, mounted on the standards 11. The object in thus leaving the central part of the machine clear at the delivery end is to permit the entry of a car in case cars are employed in carrying away the bricks from our machine. Fastened to the belts at suitable intervals are pallet carriers, the best form whereof is shown in perspective in Fig. 7 According to the design here shown, each carrier is provided with two lugs 13 which are transversely apertured to receive studs 14 by which said carriers are secured to the links of the belt. It is desirable to a provide flanges-15, 15 on said lugs for engaging the upper and lower edges of the links for insuring that the carriers shall stand upright. Said carriers have preferably four branches, the branches. 16, 16 extendin lengthwise of the belt and the branches 1%, 18 extending transversely thereto. The branch 18 lies toward the outer edge of the machine and is provided with wedge shaped lugs 19 to facilitate the seating of the pallets. At the vided with drooping flanges 24:, 24 along its longitudinal margins and a central rib 25 Wheretothe fingers 22 may be fastened. As

a result of this construction, particularly of the spring fingers and the internally lipped or flanged sockets 20, the pallets wlll normally be held securely seated upon the pallet carriers, but mav be withdrawn by merely exerting a rectilinear pull of reasonable force. Ordinarily the fingers 22 will be made strong enough to hold the pallets fast to the carriers even when depending therefrom as they will do when they are returnalong the under side of the belt.

in Tn the space formed between the upper and lower edges of the link belts are steam coils 27 for heating the bricks above. The heat is confined to the machine and directed to the bricks by a set of baflle plates 28 located at suitable intervals apart. The heat is retained at the side by side walls 29 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. By preference the coils do not reach completely to the delivery end of the machine, it being desirable to afford a space there for admitting a car.

In operation, two operators will normally stand at the receiving end of the machine and will pile the bricks upon the nearest pallet or pallets. When these have been piled to the desired height, the operator will cause the link belts equal to the distance between the centers of two adjacent pallets, or possibly twice or thrice such distance. These fresh pallets will be filled in a similar manner and then caused to move on as before. The movement of the belts and palletswill thus ordinarily be intermittent and they will be driven by any suitable mechanism which need not be here shown. It is obvious, however, that a slow continuous motion of the belts and pallets would be possible. After the machine is completely filled, the operators leave it and go to the next machine, the first machine being permitted to stand a number of hours to permit the bricks to dry. Ordinarily it is sufficient if the bricks are permitted to remain a period of 24 hours. When the bricks are sufficiently dry, they are removed from the machine; and this may be accomplished in either one of several ways. They may be lifted off of the machine a brick at a time, or they may be removed by a brick handling machine. But according to the method to which our machine is especially end of the machine and the pallets thereon to move one step-which ordinarily will be.

adapted, a car will be run under the delivery and when in position will be raised u bodily high enough to detach the pallets from the link belts. Then when. the car is removed it will take a number of pallets, together with the superposed bricks thereon, whence the car and its load may be run to the kiln or elsewhere. When operated in this manner, of course, the pallets will not follow around tothe under reach of the belt, as shown in Fig. l, but will occupy only the upper reach or top of the machine.

It will be noted that in our construction the pallets may be placed or removed by moving them in a straight line directly toward or from the pallet carriers. No side movement or turning is required and no fastening devices need be manipulated. The fingers 22 catch automatically and have sufiicient rigidity to hold the pallets in place until conscious pressure is exerted upon themv for removal. The pallets are sure to seat properly both because of the fact that the fingers converge at their lower end and also because of the converging sides of the lugs 19. It will be noted also, that as the pallets when loaded engage the pallet carriers at four points on opposite sides of the center, the palletsthemselves assist in holding the carriers upright and eliminate any tendency of the carriers to rock transversely to the path of travel.

Having thus described our what we claim as new and desire by Letters Patent, is: 1

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a belt, pallets, and connections whereby a pallet may be detachably attached to the belt, said connections comprising two interfitting parts one of which is releasably held in the other.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of two approximately horizontal endless belts, pallets, and connections for detachably attaching the pallets to said belts, said connections each consisting of two interfitting parts the movement whereof toward and from each other is confined practically to a straight line normal to the surface of the belt.

3. A combination conveyer and drier for bricks comprising two endless belts, a set of pallet carriers secured to said belts, and spring fingers on said pallets adapted to automatically engage said pallet carriers for detachably holding the pallets in engagement therewith.

4. A combination conveyer and drier for bricks comprising two parallel endless link belts, a plurality of pallet carriers secured at intervals to each of said belts, said carriers each having a central internally flanged socket, and pallets adapted to seat upon pallet carriers on different pallets, said pallets invention, to secure having spring fingers adapted to enter said sockets and removably engage the flanges 7 thereof.

' pallet and transversely to the beltsfor as- 5. A combination conveyer and drier for bricks, comprising two parallel endless link sockets aforesaid, and branches on said pallet carriers extending longitudinally of the sisting to hold said carriers against rocking movement transverse to. the line of travel.

6. A combination conveyer and drier for bricks, comprising ,two parallel endless belts, cross pallets detachably connected to said belts, steam coils locatedbeneath the upper reaches of said belts and batfle plates arranged vertically at suitable intervals beneath the upper reach of the belt for upwardly directing the heat of said coils.

In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names in the presence of two witnesses. fl

' CHARLES BLAUL.

FELIX H., KIMMICH. Witnesses:

HOWARD M. Cox, KATHRYN S. READY. 

